Chicago Blackhawks acquire picks 18, 50 from New York Islanders for picks 20, 54, 61

The Chicago Blackhawks and New York Islanders consummated a trade on Friday in which Chicago received picks 18 and 50 in the 2024 NHL Draft in exchange for picks 20, 54, and 61.

The Blackhawks received the Islanders’ own first and second-round picks in this year’s draft, while the Islanders added the first originally owned by the Tampa Bay Lightning and the second-round picks originally owned by the Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks.

With the deal, the Blackhawks possess two picks in the first round of the upcoming draft (Nos. 2 and 18) and two in the second round (Nos. 34 and 50). The Islanders have one first (No. 20) and two seconds (Nos. 54 and 61).

The two teams officially announced the move through their social media channels on Friday afternoon.

The Islanders added an extra pick in the trade and upped their total of 2024 draft selections to six, one shy of a full slate. Under general manager Lou Lamoriello, the Islanders haven’t made seven or more picks in a single draft since 2018, his first year on the job.

The Blackhawks originally acquired Tampa Bay’s first as part of the Brandon Hagel trade back in 2022. The Kings’ second-round pick came from the Philadelphia Flyers in a pick swap in 2023; they acquired the Canucks’ pick from Vancouver as compensation for taking on Jason Dickinson’s contract.

This year will mark the third in a row that the Blackhawks will have made multiple first-round picks. They selected Kevin Korchinski, Frank Nazar, and Sam Rinzel with the Nos. 7, 13, and 25 selections in 2022 before adding Connor Bedard and Oliver Moore at Nos. 1 and 19 overall in 2023.

The Islanders have not made a single first-round pick since 2019, when they took Simon Holmstrom at the No. 23 overall spot. The club has made picks in three consecutive second rounds, adding Danny Nelson, Calle Odelius, and Aatu Raty (who they subsequently traded to the Canucks).

The 2024 NHL Draft is scheduled to take place at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28 and 29.